New bat? Make sure you look after it. Cricket bags and covers are essential for keeping moisture off your bat and making sure knocks and bumps do not damage it
A cricket bag can be as simple as a padded cover for your bat. They usually come with a zip to fully enclose the bat and some form of padding or protection.
Others add extra features including a strap to be able to carry the bag like a duffle bag, plus external mesh areas and compartments for batting gloves, mouth guards and other accessories.
Cricket bags and covers are essential for keeping moisture off your bat and making sure knocks and bumps do not damage it. As the most important piece of equipment for a batter you will want to extend the lifetime of your bat and ensure it is in top condition at the crease.
When you have had a browse of our best cricket bats article and chosen one it is now time to get a cricket bat bag or cover. Here is everything you need to know.
The cheapest cricket bags on the market can cost less than £10. These will not be the highest quality bags but will provide some protection for your bat if you are a more casual player. These include cricket bat covers, which can either be covers for just the lower part of the bat and full-length covers.
You can get big-name cricket bat bags from the likes of Kookaburra for less than £20. These are the higher-end brands that offer extras such as padded straps and external compartments.
It may sound simple but the size of the cricket bat bag depends on the size of your bat. No cricket bat bag needs to be longer than 97cm, or 38 inches, because that is the maximum length allowed for a cricket bat in the men’s game. Generally most long-handle cricket bats will be around 87.5cm.
Generally, players that stand between 5ft 9 and 6ft should have an 85cm, or 33in, bat. That means cricket bags that are 88cm or above should be enough for nearly all cricket bats.
A cricket bat bag, or larger kit bag, will be an essential accessory when it comes to travelling abroad. According to the UK government, cricket bats cannot be taken onto planes as hand luggage so they will have to be checked in. This means you will need a padded bag to ensure your bat is not damaged in transit.
Kookaburra sells four different cricket bat bags and covers in the UK. Unfortunately at the time of writing all four are sold out on the brand’s website. You can still buy the bags at Owzat Cricket, which is stocking the Pro 1.1 full bat cover for £8.99.
Gunn & Moore produce a number of full-length bat covers. The 2024 version is one of the best on the market. Priced at just £17.95, it includes padding for extra protection and a small strap to help you carry it.
Gunn & Moore also sells a smaller, stripped-back bat cover priced at £9.99 here.
Sports Direct has one of the cheapest cricket bat covers on the market. Priced at £6.99, the Slazenger full-length cricket bat cover is complete with zip and padded material for extra protection for your bat.
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